Josh Hall’s request to gain equal rights to his and Christina Hall‘s HGTV shows could wind up being a very lucrative move, unfortunately for Christina and co-stars Tarek and Heather Rae El Moussa.
On July 16, it was reported that Josh, 43, and Christina, 41, had both filed their own divorce papers, citing “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their split. Josh listed July 8 as their date of separation while Christina listed July 7.
In his filing, Josh asked the court for all rights to his property before they got married as well as equal division of community property acquired during the marriage — this includes the rights to the Discovery and HGTV shows they developed, produced or contracted with during their two-year marriage. The couple do not appear to have a prenup.
These shows include Christina’s show, Christina on the Coast, in which Josh occasionally appears, and an upcoming show with Christina’s ex-husband Tarek and his wife Heather, titled The Flip Off.
According to Aliette H. Carolan, Esq., seasoned family law attorney and founder of The Quick Divorce, the couple’s lack of prenup could work in Josh’s favor as their divorce proceedings continue. “In California, which follows community property laws, absent a prenup, marital assets are generally divided equally,” Carolan offers as her opinion. “This could possibly include rights to shows they created or participated in during the marriage.”
While Christina on the Coast is currently airing, sources say filming for The Flip Off just got underway. The show was meant to see exes Christina and Tarek go head-to-head with the help of their respective spouses, Josh and Selling Sunset alum Heather, to see who can renovate and flip a house to make the largest profit.
According to a source who spoke to Entertainment Tonight, the started filming scenes “a few weeks ago” and the team behind it are still “figuring out what the plan is moving forward” but plan to continue without Josh’s involvement. On July 23, People confirmed that Christina had resumed filming amid her ongoing divorce.
However, depending on what contracts were drawn up before production began, this may not impact Josh’s rights to profit from the show with or without his involvement.
“With regard to the rights to the shows they created jointly and during the marriage, it appears California’s community properties should apply. Josh will likely preserve his rights to the shows he participated in,” Carolan tells us.
“Christina would share in those rights, as well, just like he is likely to reap some financial benefit in connection to her rights and interests in the shows produced during the marriage.”
As for just how much money Josh could make, that all boils down to his contract, Carolan says. “It depends on whether his contract grants him royalties for completed episodes he participated in, even if he doesn’t film future ones,” she explains.
In his filing, according to Us Weekly, Josh’s list of community property also included the couple’s house in Newport Beach, California. Josh also requested spousal support from his estranged wife while, in her filing, Christina stated that she will provide the court with a list of any separate property assets and debts at a later date.
Before you go, click hereto see all of the celebrities who broke up this year (so far).
